Letters to the Editor about Station 5 for May 19, 2013

Published 3:44 am, Monday, May 20, 2013

Photo: James Durbin

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Photo: James Durbin

Letters to the Editor about Station 5 for May 19, 2013

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Removal of fire engine was a mistake

It has come to my attention the fire engine was recently removed from the fire station located at the corner or Golf Course Road and Garfield Street. From what I understand, the engine has been replaced by a squad pickup that can respond quickly to medical emergencies.

I agree quicker responses to any emergency is great whether that call is medical or fire. Why would Chief Isbell choose to remove an engine when it is the piece of equipment necessary to fight a fire? Why were the neighbors affected by this decision not notified of this action? And now after the tragic loss of a family home; why is the chief refusing to return the engine?

The removal of the engine was a mistake, possibly a decision made out of spite. For this action to be allowed to continue is absurd. We should not be dealing with the chief’s pride.

Fortunately, due to the selflessness of a neighbor, the woman burned in her home did not lose her life that day. Firefighters’ lives are often put on the line; I would shudder at the thought of those firefighters first on the scene having to make the decision whether to enter the burning home to save a life without the protection afforded by a fire engine. They deserve all protection possible.

The best option for the best protection of all Midland citizens and visitors is to return Engine 5 to Station 5, keep the squad vehicle at Station 5 and keep the technical rescue truck at Station 5.

The bay is large enough to accommodate both the engine and rescue truck. This is evidenced by the fact that they were both housed in the bay at Station 5 up until the chief chose to remove the engine. Options for the squad vehicle include building a garage or cover to protect it. If the equipment carried in the squad vehicle needs protection, there are various types of bed covers to protect anything carried in the bed of the pickup.

Lanetta Cooper

Midland deserves better fire coverage

I hope all of Midland is aware of the fire engine being removed from Fire Station 5, located at Garfield Street and Golf Course Road, and what that means to them and their families. Fire Chief Isbell is quoted as saying it’s not fair for those in Stations 5’s district to have better coverage than the rest of the city, that those residents have adequate coverage from the other stations. At the appropriate time, I welcome the opportunity for him to look my parents — who are in their 80s and have lived in their residence for 56 years — in the eye and tell them that.

Lifesaving and structure-saving should actually be tandem but they aren’t in Midland. Make no mistake — I am thrilled my mother was pulled from the burning home, but it was not by firefighters, but by a passerby who saw the flames shooting out windows who went into the structure to look for and rescue my mother.

I hope all of Midland knows the firefighters are ill-equipped to fight fires and save lives. They deserve better, and so do the citizens of Midland. We are in a boom; we should be making hay, but we aren’t.

Decisions are being made that affect the citizens and companies who live and work here. Nowhere else in the state has an engine been removed from a station. The stations have additional equipment and staff are cross-trained, but never is an engine removed. Decisions are made contrary to the best interest of the firefighters and the citizens of Midland.

I’ve been told Midland does not have the tax base to support additional equipment or stations for the citizens. If so, something is wrong with the Appraisal District of Midland County. Midland has too few stations to meet the needs of the population, but Midland does not have the tax base to build fully equipped and staffed stations to cover new areas or even existing areas. There is something wrong with this logic.

We deserve better, don’t you think?

Laura Burford Durst

City’s vision for fire service needs work

First, I want to express my sympathy to the Burford family for their loss.

My fellow Midlanders, this could also happen to any of us, and let me explain. I live at Neely and Midkiff, which puts me in Station 8’s district. What if 8 was already on a structure fire and could not respond. Without Station 5, that leaves either station 3 or 1, which increases the response time — by Isbell’s own timeline in the paper — by at least two minutes. Station 5 may not have had many calls, but at least it is centrally located to back other units.

Our city is growing by leaps and bounds, and we cannot afford to leave any first response equipment parked at the vehicle maintenance building, where 5 is currently. I don’t think Chief Isbell’s holistic vision for the city’s fire service is a very good one.

When I worked at vehicle maintenance, it was my understanding that pickups would not be stand-alone units at a station but would be stationed throughout the city as first responders because they could get through traffic easier, get on-scene quicker and brief the other first responders on the situation.

My fellow homeowners: When the insurance underwriters discover the issue, where do you think your insurance rates will go?